Dredging Risk

Marine aggregate dredgers operate in licence areas in coastal waters and open seas where other shipping is present. This introduces a risk of collision between the dredger (which is generally stationary or travelling at low speeds when dredging), and passing shipping.

Anatec personnel have gained first-hand experience onboard a working marine aggregates dredger. This experience has been applied when chairing and participating in workshops to define operating procedures for dredging in busy shipping areas, and to identify measures to reduce the risk of collision, such as bridge manning and allowable visibility criteria.

Detailed risk assessment work has been performed using computer modelling to estimate the risk of collision between dredgers and passing merchant and fishing vessels, taking into account:

Historical risk level

Ship collision causation factors

Dredge licence areas

Vessel specification

Passing shipping (routeing, density and composition)

Risk mitigation measures

Our experience includes assessing the risks associated with proposed dredging operations in the English Channel, one of the World’s busiest waterways, as well as several other offshore areas in the UK.